Cyclist deaths rising, and tickets for bells?

Was there a bell on Matthew von Ohlen's bicycle when a driver ran him down from behind and killed him, then fled the scene, in Williamsburg on July 2?

I ask because days later, the NYPD was issuing summonses of up to $90 to cyclists who didn't have bells on their bikes, which is technically a violation under New York State Vehicle and Traffic law.

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The enforcement, and timing, suggest that the NYPD regards bells as essential to cyclists' safety. But not catching and ticketing drivers who speed or who turn without signaling or who pass cyclists too closely — far more dangerous behavior, none of which the NYPD cracked down on in response to von Ohlen's death.

A bell wouldn't have saved von Ohlen from being rammed from behind in a clearly marked bike lane. Nor would bells likely have saved any of the 12 other bicycle riders whom drivers have struck and killed in the city so far this year. That's more than have been killed by mid-summer since before Bill de Blasio became mayor and inaugurated his Vision Zero initiative to rid New York of traffic deaths.

Like von Ohlen, all or nearly all cyclists killed this year were obeying traffic rules.

Bells aren't useless, in theory. It could be argued, I guess, that when a driver is about to "left hook" into a lawfully proceeding cyclist, the ping of the cyclist's bell might alert the driver to slow down before completing the turn. So cops could claim that the bell crackdown is tangentially connected to de Blasio's Vision Zero push.

But that's what the provisions of the vehicle code requiring drivers to exercise due care before turning into the crosswalk — and to give pedestrians and bikes the right of way — are supposed to do. And if a driver is so inattentive or unconcerned that an oncoming cyclist in the opposite lane doesn't register, why would a tinkling bell make a difference?

A bell can't penetrate the din of New York or the windshield of an SUV. Worse, you as a cyclist are probably safer not using it. The time spent moving your hand from the brakes (where it sits, always ready) to the lever of the bell is time you could have slowed down and maybe averted the crash.

So instead, if you're a smart bicyclist, you use your voice. You brake and shout and pray that the driver listens. The same goes for communicating with pedestrians.

I've cycled in the city daily for over 40 years, mixing with cars, trucks, and buses every day — all without a bell. I'm the graybeard who loudly calls "Hello?" to ask for my right of way. Other cyclists have their own calls.

Every bike rider I've spoken to is sickened by the NYPD's mass ticketing of bell-less cyclists right after one of us was prominently killed while cycling as safely as possible.

But you don't have to be a cyclist to feel the sadistic streak in this response. Just as cruel in the long run is the "New York isn't Amsterdam" retort of community boards and office-holders who delay or water down practically every proposed street redesign that would make it harder for drivers to hit cyclists. We'll never be a cycling city, in other words, so don't bother trying.

Ironically, bells work in Amsterdam. People listen for them, as part of looking out for each other. Street design encourages it and culture demands it.

Still, isn't the occasional clampdown on cyclists a first-world problem, a mere hipster hindrance? Not in the least. Someone died. A young man with drive and promise, whose family and friends will never get over it.

As Matthew von Ohlen, who said he "lived and breathed cycling," would have reminded us, bike-riding matters to this city. It's a form of transportation, of exercise, of economy, of community, of contact and connection.

More and more New Yorkers are riding bikes, but we're only a fraction of those who would do it if they could see their city trying to protect them.